Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising, solid, innovative, 25 Feb 2005
Well, everyone there who claims to like Progressive Rock says you must like the Flower Kings. Being a hughe fan of Transatlantic I bought most of FK studio records last year, and I have to confess that I don't understand their music fully. My favourite FK album has always been Welcome Back... Don't misunderstand me, I like their music, but it doesn't captivate me as much as, say, Porcupine Tree or Marillion (Not to mention other "dogmatic" bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis or Yes). Unfold the Future was for me, just another record, light years behind the first Tangent album (I bought both of them the same day)... So it was difficult to click on the "purchase" button when it came to Adam & Eve... I was so wrong. I listened to it yesterday and I was captivated since track 1. Adam & Eve is a solid and innovative album. Overproduced? maybe, Indulgent? who cares? Not me. And, by the way, my favourite song was the one about the vampire... (and yes, I also have most of Steve Hackett's discography)
|
|
|
5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
flower kings lite, 26 Nov 2004
By A Customer
Oh dear,I love the f.kings and felt there last album was real career peak, unfold the future was a genuinely progressive Cd with dazzling arrangements, cerebal sound-scapes, epics, catchy complex modern rock and excellent modern jazz fusion.
Adam and Eve is the weakest f.kings Cd by some way, it doesn't grow on you like their others and it is musically quite un-adventureous. Often bland and over produced there are few strong songs, melodies or interesting guitar/keyboard voices. Love supreme is the weakest f.kings epic and is boreing, it was also dull at their recent London show.
Cosmic circus is a pleasant short piece with a strong vocal from Froberg; one of the better songs.
Babylon and Days Gone are pleasant Bodin instrumentals; interestingly his only writing credits on the album.
"The Vampire song" as I call it; boreing, overlong and even duller live.
Adam & Eve is a rocky piece with interesting lyrics, but not classic F.kings by any means.
The Blade of Cain; one of the worst F.Kings instrumentals, dull and an amazingly weak track to end both the album and recent live shows on. This from the band who gave us Afterlife, Hudson River Sirens Call and Violent Brat.
Timelines; at last some interesting jazzy prog but let down by a weak melody/lyric.
Driver's Seat; best song on the album and uses it's 18 minutes well, good lyrics, nice break-down in the middle and a useful live track. Overall a great dissapointment from the prolific and normally hyper-reliable Fower Kings. It is Prog rock for people who think Pendragon are adventurous!! Bland and over-produced it sounds like a rushed release, while the band had inadequate LP material.
Tomas Bodin seams to have side-lined when they clearly need his inspiration in the writing department. roll on the next album and a true follow-up to the extraordinary "Unfold the Future"
|
|
|
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This years model!, 10 Aug 2004
Well, would you adam and eve it!! Another year, another Flower Kings album. It doesn't seem so long since the last, the excellent double album "Unfold the Future". So should we expect another studio album so soon? Well, it is Roine Stolts band so yes! The ever prolific guitarist doesn't know when to stop. Last year also saw his work on top albums by Kaipa and The Tangent. So does this latest stand up to what has gone before. Like previous albums, the answer is yes and no! All Flower King albums have their moments of brilliance and not so brilliance and this latest is no exception. The musicianship by all concerned is excellent, if anything the band is on top form here. They play with such ease and confidence that it is a joy just to here them perform. As always Stolts guitar playing is exemplary throughout.Whereas "Unfold the Future" was a bold affair, containing wonderful long form epic prog workouts like "The Truth Will Set You Free" and extending their palette to attempt some jazz fusion style material, here they content themselves with a more melodic, symphonic song based affair. There are two excellent long pieces on this in the form of the opening "Love Supreme" and "Drivers Seat". Actually this album harks back to 2001's "Rainmaker" album in style though the material on show here is much stronger. The album does take a few listens to sink in, but all Flower King albums are like that. There is never a shortage of material on offer and this CD clocks in at an ample 78 minutes . Standout tracks so far apart from the previous mentioned epics, are the short, but catchy "Cosmic Circus" and "Timelines" with it's frenetic Crimson like opening section. I am not sure about "Vampires View" which is a bit too theatrical and Steve Hackett does that kind of thing much better anyway. But all in all this is a fine addition to the hefty back catalogue. Stolt will be appearing later in the year on the much anticipated second Tangent album, on keyboardist Tomas Bodins "Swedish Family" project, then on...... , well you get the idea!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
~ The Flower Kings
~ The Flower Kings
~ The Flower Kings
~ The Flower Kings
~ The Flower Kings
